Podargus
Reality Bites
This one happened a year ago, but is in court at the moment. All 3 accused murderers are deaf, and intellectually disabled. As was poor Robert Wright, who also had cerebral palsy.
The reporting is rather sporadic on this case. This article is about the hearing to determine the fitness to stand trial for one of the accused, Jake Fairest. He was found unfit to stand trial, as was his co-accused, Georgia Fields a few days later.
I had to add this bit.
Murdered: Robert Wright.
Unfit to stand trial: Jake Fairest.
Unfit to stand trial: Georgia Fields.
The reporting is rather sporadic on this case. This article is about the hearing to determine the fitness to stand trial for one of the accused, Jake Fairest. He was found unfit to stand trial, as was his co-accused, Georgia Fields a few days later.
......
Giving evidence during a special hearing to formally confirm Mr Fairest was unfit to stand trial, Dr Daffern said Mr Fairest's intellectual ability fell within the mentally retarded range and was well below average.
Dr Daffern said Mr Fairest, who has severe cognitive and developmental disabilities following aggressive chemotherapy treatment for a brain tumour when he was seven, did not believe there was any evidence against him and wanted to plead not guilty.
...........
Mr Fairest and his co-accused, Warwick Toohey and Georgia Fields, are charged with murdering Robbie Wright, who fell from a balcony outside his Ringwood apartment on January 15, 2015. Mr Wright, 36, who also suffered from cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and had an intellectual disability, died in hospital three days later.
The trio allegedly confronted Mr Wright in his lounge room, restrained him and forced him out on to the balcony and over the hand rail.
.......
Previous court hearings have been told CCTV footage of the trio using Auslan sign language on a train to Ringwood, in the foyer of Mr Wright's apartment and in the lift on the way to confront him, formed part of the Crown case against them because the recordings suggested they had allegedly been planning the murder.
......
When they entered the foyer at 9.40pm and took the lift to the second floor, the CCTV footage allegedly showed Ms Fields asking Mr Fairest in sign language if he wanted Mr Wright dead or alive and asking the question, "How die?".
The alleged conversation included Mr Fairest saying: "Want strangle."
Ms Fields: "Fall."
Mr Fairest: "Can strangle neck area. What do you think?".
Ms Fields: "I think falling is better."
Mr Toohey: "Strangle risky."
Ms Fields: "Fall good, fall good."
Mr Toohey then allegedly told Fairest: "You grab, hold."
Ms Fields then allegedly replied: "Fall good, all right."
Mr Toohey then allegedly told Mr Fairest to greet Mr Wright and to "grab and to push forward".
The hearing, before Justice Michael Croucher, continues.
http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/accu...court-told-20160513-gouprd.html#ixzz49BX6Cb1N
TWO of the three deaf people charged with murdering Robert Wright in Melbourne have been found unfit to stand trial.
Georgia Fields, 19, Jake Fairest, 26, and Warwick Toohey, 37, were charged with murder last year after 36-year-old Mr Wright — who was also profoundly deaf — fell to his death from the balcony of a Ringwood flat.
A Victorian Supreme Court jury found Fields unfit to stand trial on Tuesday, less than a week after Fairest was also deemed unfit.
The accused trio each entered a plea of not guilty, by reason of mental impairment and this week a jury was considering Fields’ capacity to stand trial.
http://www.news.com.au/national/vic...r/news-story/ee1df1cdd05024c5b8f8ce1cbff87415
I had to add this bit.
Previous court hearings have been told Mr Wright and Mr Toohey lived together but were constantly arguing over household tasks. Both men had allegedly previously "shared" Ms Fields as a girlfriend.
The trio allegedly confronted Mr Wright in his lounge room, restrained him and forced him out on to the balcony and over the hand rail.
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/a...court-told-20151122-gl5cgx.html#ixzz49BeYVHJi
Murdered: Robert Wright.
Unfit to stand trial: Jake Fairest.
Unfit to stand trial: Georgia Fields.